It’s hard to believe that The Cockettes, the renegade San Francisco-based performance troupe, made their gender- and genre-defying debut in 1969. As a totally biased, longtime fan of The Cockettes’ legacy since watching the eponymous, award-winning documentary about them back in 2002, the group’s Second Cumming show at New York City’s Joe’s Pub on Saturday, September 9th was simply a L-O-N-G-anticipated promise fulfilled.  The thrills, cheap or otherwise, started with Banana Song, where original Cockette and lyricist Scrumbly Koldewyn sang about his desire to find that perfect phallic fruit; he is soon joined on stage by two lean chorus bois with, ahem… “big bananas”.  Later on, the audience is treated to the best showtune NEVER heard on Broadway. Named At the Sideshow and sung by Ellie Stokes, it could have aptly been subtitled Sideshow Freak’s Lament. The song’s chorus, which never failed to trigger audience laughter every time, pretty much became a singalong: “Life is short, life is sweet; No time for sorrow, no time for defeat; It’s a game, so don’t come unglued, Besides, there is someone worse off than you!”  But perhaps what most captured the unique flavor of The Cockettes was how the number was sung completely…well, STRAIGHT! (It’s worth adding that in THIS show, very little was “straight”.). Of course, this only made it funnier. The Cockettes always had a knack for lampooning old-school Hollywood and Broadway (The songs Tappin’ In a Varicose Vein and Boys of the Chorus later on in the show are fine examples.), yet also reveling in the glamour of showbiz at the same time– right on down to the endless costumes and wild makeup. The Second Cumming is faithful to its delectably decadent antecedents, yet also felt more groundbreaking than ever as we move towards 2024. Just as the vintage video footage of Cockettes founder Hibiscus at the beginning of this show looked surprisingly crisp and clear considering its age, the audience’s joy at The Cockettes’ patently over-the-top style showed that the group’s platform heelprints are here to stay. In the words of another of their hardcore fans, filmmaker John Waters, The Cockettes have withstood the test of time.  In additional archival footage shown that night, Waters added, “Their legend is cemented in America’s lunatic history!”  It’s only fitting, then, that one of the numbers paid tribute to John Waters’ muse Divine with (Get ready…) A Crab on Uranus (Means You’re Loved), a song which Divine had once performed with the group.  That night at Joe’s Pub, it was done (fabulously) by Birdie Bob Watt— in a crab costume.  The sight of that alone was worth the price of a two-drink minimum.

Produced by Dan Karkoska, this one-night-only song-and-dance revue celebrated the original music of Koldewyn and featured a hard-working, multi-talented cast: Matt Bratko, Noah Haydon, Steven Satyricon, Ellie Stokes, Bonni Suval, and Birdie Bob Watt.  Many of these performers are trained singers and movers (There’s even tapdancing!), and they really know how to work with Koldewyn’s brilliantly bawdy lyrics.  Speaking of “bawdy”, this new show didn’t shy away from the deliciously dirty side of The Cockettes’ reputation: There was a proudly lewd piece (Too Decadent For You) which explores that “slippery slope” of falling into the world of outré sex. Another elaborately choreographed and costumed number was unambiguously named Let Them Eat Cock (sung by Bonni Suval).  Another song was a true earworm named Come Eat Me (“Eat me! Eat me! Eat me!”), sung by Matt Bratko and Steven Satyricon. One of Koldewyn’s most provocative (for different reasons) compositions was Singer in a Cafe, sung by Noah Haydon. This should-be classic, with truly haunting lyrics, perfectly captures the co-dependent relationship between the performer and the audience looking back at them; any person who makes a living in the performing arts will relate to this big time.  Singer in a Cafe may have given the audience a collective ache from all the broken hearts on Broadway through the decades, but indeed, there were many more provocative moments in this Second Cumming.  One of them was Midnight in Manhattan, also sung by Haydon. After hearing the version on stage that night, I don’t feel the need to hear any other incarnations, past or present.  

In a night filled with one priceless vignette after another, one of the hands-down finest moments came with Special Guest Peter Mintun. Mintun served as accompanist for The Cockettes for many of their early 1970s performances. He also accompanied Sylvester for his early solo concerts. Yes, kids, THAT Sylvester: the queer icon behind You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). Sylvester would go on to become the most well-known and commercially successful of The Cockettes, and his legacy lives on in the critically acclaimed Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical.  The other Special Guest that night was Anthony Wayne: producer, co-creator, and star of that musical. Mintun is a phenomenal pianist, and Mr. Wayne is a phenomenal vocalist.  When the two joined forces for Jaded Lady, the result was no less than magical.  The audience was indeed bewitched.

The Cockettes: Second Cumming shocked and delighted the audience at New York City’s famous Joe’s Pub from the opening number (Ain’t We Deluxe?) right on through to its devilishly funny finale, Doin’ the Hades Lowdown. If there’s one thing we can learn from The Cockettes through the decades, it’s that too much of a good thing is NEVER enough– especially laughter…  Let’s hope for a third cumming!.